When the Violets Bloom Again
by Stratocruiser
Summary: In 1974, Hawkeye and Margaret have to say a sad goodbye to the person that brought them together. Final chapter posted.
1. Chapter 1

**When the Violets Bloom Again**

"Can I drive?"

"No, dammit, for the last time, no!"

Pennsylvania rolled by, an undulating wave of corn and telephone wires. Sometimes they'd pass an Amish buggy rolling slowly towards one of the big red barns dotted with hex signs. This was the reason why Hawkeye chose to drive. The kids had pouted, Margaret had questioned the mechanical condition of the wagon, but he won. He didn't win many of his battles lately.

Hawkeye's mood was less than chipper. Partly because Ellie was bugging him about driving. She had her license for just over a year and was looking to get motoring even if it meant the family wanted to leave her in one of these cornfields. Hey, it would cut down on the college tuition bills they were paying.

The youngest Pierce had his enormous feet just inches from Hawkeye's head. Ben brought an 8-track player. His contribution to the drive was a four hour medley of humping, grunting Rufus tunes. To make matters worse, for the first hour Ellie and Ben sang along.

It was a long drive from Maine to Missouri. Under happier circumstances it wouldn't have been so bad.

Margaret's reaction to the news had equaled that of a nuclear meltdown. She hung up the phone and cried for six straight hours. Hawkeye held her, talked to her and stroked her golden hair until she finally drifted to sleep, eyes red and cheeks damp. She called him the next day from the office about three times.

"I miss him so much already," she said. He could hear a ballpoint pen clicking faster and faster.

"I can't believe I won't ever be able to pick up the phone and call him. Ever!"

Hawkeye internalized his grief. For the first in memory he got a little tipsy on gin and wandered up to the attic where his Army stuff was stored. Out of the footlocker came his frayed and stained Hawaiian shirt, still carrying dirt and lipstick stains from his first intimate encounter with Margaret in the hut. Hawkeye held it to his chest and sniffed it. He was immediately wracked with a sneezing fit. His purple bathrobe came next, followed by a Valentine's Day card he didn't have the courage to give Margaret all those years ago. Underneath it all was the old photo album that held the few pictures he had of his wartime experiences. One was a group shot with Charles frowning in the back. Hawkeye had his arm on Margaret's arm and if he closed his eyes he could remember the warm feel of her skin under his fingertips. There was Colonel Potter beside them smiling at the camera.

Christ, he already missed the guy.

It was a rough year. First his father in January, now Potter in the waning days of May.

The sun was high in the blue sky. More corn waved in the slight breeze. Everyone had fallen asleep in the warm light. Hawkeye looked at his daughter in the rear view mirror. Florida's sun had been kind to her. Ben was bulking back up for football.

There was Margaret beside him in the passenger's seat, her head resting on the door sill. The sun caught her crucifix and sent glints on the dashboard. She'd been wearing it ever since word came that Potter died. Her hair was long again, and she had it pinned up like the night he'd stained his Hawaiian shirt. Hawkeye always loved watching her sleep. The way her lower lip stuck out a bit and how it was really the only time she was ever quiet drove him crazy. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as he gawked.

"Are you crying again?"

Margaret sat up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands.

"No."

Hawkeye gave her a knowing look.

"You know, I didn't think there was this much corn in the world. How much of it do we actually eat? Maybe ten ears a summer? Look - just acres and acres of it. Someone's got to be making money somehow," he babbled.

Margaret began to search around on the floor board, coming up with a sandwich wrapped in foil. She unwrapped it slowly and took one bite before the tears began to fall again.

"Come on, come over here," Hawkeye smiled, pulling her against his shoulder. She held the sandwich up and he took a bite.

"We'll stop soon and get some rest. The kids are out cold and you could use some sleep, too," he said, chewing.

"What about you? You've been driving for...twelve hours straight!" Margaret said, checking her watch.

"I don't mind. It lets me think."

"About what? Corn?"

Hawkeye kissed her wet cheek. "Give me another bite."

She smiled at him, a move guaranteed to make him dizzy.

"Okay, we'll stop next town over," he sighed.

She kept smiling and wrapped her arms around his waist. One of his hands wandered to her knee, but she shooed it off.


	2. Chapter 2

_This is an ABC Newsbrief. I'm Tom Hutchinson. The Watergate investigation intensifies with more speculation about the president's involvement with the break-ins. Both sides of the political spectrum are now looking to begin impeachment proceedings. The White House is expected to make statements in the next few weeks. _

_In other news, investigators are expected to release their final report about a Pan Am 7-oh-7 that crashed in Indonesia just over a month ago..._

Ellie was awake and listening intently to the news. The signal came in and out like a moon transmission. The only light in the car came from the green dashboard dials that lit up the interior with a martian glow.

"Dad, are we stopping soon?" she asked, touching his shoulder.

Hawkeye stared ahead at the road. They were in Kentucky now, on the second day of the trip.

"El, are you hungry?"

He passed back the last of the roast beef sandwiches. Margaret stirred against him and yawned.

"You're still driving?" she said incredulously, sitting up quickly.

"No. We're stopping now," he smiled, missing her warmth. A motel sign loomed ahead in Kentucky blackness.

"Teepees!"

A motor court came into view. Brightly lit stucco teepees formed a circle around a larger one. Ben was bouncing up and down on his seat laughing and pointing. Margaret's mouth hung open. Ellie had her face pressed against the window.

"Big teepees too much wampum," Hawkeye said, knowing he would be overruled.

"Christ, if we don't stop here the kids will have heart attacks. Come on. They look all right to me. The place we stayed last night had fleas. This couldn't be worse," Margaret smiled, nudging his arm.

"I guess it's okay," Hawkeye sighed, pulling in. Thunderous applause rose from the car's backseat.

Two hours later, Ben was in his sweat pants and an old football jersey, sitting on a bed in their octagonal room. He mechanically shoved potato chips in his mouth. Ellie was asleep on the other bed.

"I guess finals week finally caught up with her," said Hawkeye. "Honey, want to take a walk and check this place out?"

The air was warm and smelled faintly of honeysuckle. They followed the cracked sidewalk, listening to the electric sounds of bugs running into the zappers that hung under the lampposts.

"I'll be glad to get to Missouri so we can have our own room," Margaret said, reaching out for his hand.

"The whole gang will be there. I haven't seen Radar in God knows how long. He could be six feet tall now for all I know."

He didn't mention B.J.'s absence. In a phone conversation the week before, B.J. had begged off, saying everyone was "sick" and his practice was too busy and there was no way he could come. What he wasn't saying, Hawkeye knew, was the real problem. While Hawkeye and Margaret were a volatile and surprising combination, B.J. and Peg had been battling each other's demons since the day her returned from Korea. He'd soured on the world. Two miscarriages and one whopper of an alcohol problem later, B.J. and Peg were still putting their lives together.

"You're kind of quiet."

Margaret broke his train of thought. They'd reached the end of the sidewalk. Before they turned around, he leaned down and kissed her fiercely. He was a lucky man, you know?

"One for the road," Hawkeye said lightly, glad she couldn't see his eyes in the darkness. She laughed as he draped an arm over her shoulder and they walked back in the Kentucky twilight.

Ben had dropped a prodigious amount of potato chip crumbs in the bed. Hawkeye itched and tossed and turned. He heard Margaret snort in the next bed as Ellie tightened her strangle-hold on the bed covers.

"Ellie, move your feet."

Just before they left Maine, Margaret told Hawkeye something he never thought he'd hear coming out of her mouth.

"I wish we had more kids," she said out of the blue at the breakfast table.

Hawkeye stood up and almost knocked over his coffee. "You're crazy," he said, shaking his head.

"No, it would have been nice to have a third to balance the other two out."

Lunkhead Ben and troublesome Ellie. Was there a gray area anywhere? The two were ying and yang, just like...just like...their parents.

"We had two, Maggie. Two is all we can handle. They're not carbon copies of us, thank God."

"What would have been so bad about that?" she volleyed back.

Potter had said they'd make great parents. This was long before they were even considering marriage, all the way back in Korea, on the day Hawkeye almost lost it all.

_He'd spent the day staring at Margaret from a distance. Sitting on a huge piece of driftwood, he watched her walk towards the water. Now she was marching past him, carrying one of the orphans and talking quietly to the toddler. The chubby little boy had taken a liking to her nose and was alternately grabbing and biting it._

"_Hey, give me that baby before you get your nose bent out of shape."_

_She gratefully put the toddler on his lap and sat down beside him. Their knees touched. _

"_So, Major Houlihan, have you thought much about going home?"_

_The question caught her off guard. _

"_Not really, I guess," she said, giving him a weak smile._

_Hawkeye wrapped an arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder._

"_What are the beaches like in Maine?"_

_He smiled. "Not like this. Rocky, craggy, barren...but beautiful. Especially when the sun hits the water."_

_Her green eyes sparkled. Hawkeye looked down at the orphan, who quickly reached up to grab his nose. _

"_Ow! He's got pinchers!"_

_Margaret laughed and kissed Hawkeye's cheek. She blushed and turned back toward everyone else._

"_We'd better get ready to go," she said, regretfully._

_They each took one of the toddler's hands and walked back towards the bus. Colonel Potter was taking a headcount. When they reached the front of the line, he pulled them aside._

"_I don't want to stick my nose in your business, but what the heck. You two make the most natural looking parents I've ever seen. Now, get on the bus," he said quickly, walking off._

_Hawkeye's mouth dropped open and Margaret closed her eyes in the uncomfortable silence. Then he gallantly offered her a hand and pulled her up on the bus._

Margaret drove the last leg of the trip. For six hours she navigated twisting country roads, getting sadder as she got closer. She chattered on about Korea and Trapper and Klinger (no Frank, thought Hawkeye). A chocolate bar melted on the dashboard and Hawkeye licked the remains off his fingers.

"Hey baby, want some chocolate?" he asked innocently.

"No!"

"Here, have some anyways," he laughed, wiping his fingers on her exposed arm. She had to smile, too, and forgot for a moment that they were heading out to bury Colonel Sherman Potter.

It was about four o'clock when they pulled up to the cream-colored farmhouse. A horse poked his head over a pasture fence, checking out the new intruders.

"We're here!"

Margaret shook her sleeping husband's arm. Ben stirred in the back, wiping his eyes. The sun was very brights and everything was a vibrant late spring green. Here it was, the fertile soil Potter had raved about. Now he would go back to it.

"Someone's got a Corvette," observed Ellie.

"Nice one, huh?" Ben said, giving his stamp of approval.

They all piled out, walking stiffly and looking around the farm. Through the door, Radar O'Reilly looked closely at the new arrivals.

"Misses Potter! The Pierce's are here!" he announced before running out the door to greet them.

Tears filled Hawkeye's eyes as they hugged and shook hands. Radar stepped back and saluted Margaret, who hugged him. Ben and Ellie hung back a bit, smiling. Each of them were about ten inches taller than Radar.

"You must be Ellie and Ben.Gosh, I can't believe you're all grown up," Radar said, before hugging both of them.

"I see I've encountered a vile, emotional scene," a familiar voice boomed from the porch.

"Winchester!" Hawkeye yelled.

Of all the people Hawkeye expected to get close to after the wart, Charles Winchester wasn't one of them. Polar opposites. But Charles had a son now from a failed marriage. Ben and Charles Winchester IV hit it off immediately at a get-together the families had in Boston. Tex, as he preferred to be called, came up to Maine a few times afterward. He'd been away from Boston for a few years after deciding to live with his mother in Texas and go to work on the family ranch. Charles had secretly been devastated by this decision.

"Mahgret, a sight for sore eyes," he crooned, kissing her hand. Tex walked out of the house. He'd grown up a lot. Hawkeye watched Ellie give him a once-over.

"You remember my son, Wyatt Earp. Ben, you look more like your mother every day. And the radiant Eleanor, you look like Barbara Feldon. Does anyone tell you that?" Charles said grandly. They all laughed, except Ellie, who looked impatient.

Max Klinger, Father Mulcahy and Mildred Potter walked out on the porch. Mrs. Potter was wearing an old fashioned apron and wringing her hands in a kitchen towel. She looked just like the picture on Potter's old desk.

"Oh, Mildred, I'm so sorry," Margaret said, rushing up the porch steps to hug her.

"Dear, it's okay. He went the way he always wanted to, fast and with his boots on. Now, you kids must be starving. Come in and meet the rest of the family."

The Potter kids and their various offspring grinned at Sherman's war buddies. Radar's wife Dana and Soon Lee were helping in the kitchen. Radar's oldest daughter Shannon eyed Ben as he sauntered in.

"Is that your brother?" she asked Ellie.

"Yeah, sometimes."

"He's a hunk!" she squealed. Ellie shook her head.

"Too bad B.J. and Peg couldn't make it," Klinger said from an easy chair.

Hawkeye nodded and kept quiet. They all knew the score. He'd spare them the details.

The gathering at in convivial silence. Tex Winchester made a point of sitting next to Ellie. Hawkeye watched them. Just a few years ago Tex and Ben spent lots of time trying to drop ice cubes down her back. Now there was a strange electricity between them and an instant chattiness on both sides.

Soon Lee sat next to Margaret. "Margaret, Hawkeye, your son is very handsome. He looks a lot like you, Margaret."

She smiled. Ben was a blonde Houlihan man from head to toes...except when he opened his mouth and a baritone version of Hawkeye's voice leapt out.

"I think we'll keep him," she said.

The company broke at about eight. Some were staying at the farmhouse. Others, like the Pierce family, drove the ten miles to town to bunker down at the Econolodge. When Ben and Ellie found out they'd each have their own room, they high-fived, took their keys and disappeared into the corridors.

Hawkeye jokingly carried Margaret across the threshold into their room. He unceremoniously dumped her on the bed, grabbed the ice bucket and walked out. She was still laughing as he left. When he returned with two 7-Ups and the ice, she was naked under the covers and watching Bob Newhart.

"Does Bob there make you want to strip down?"

He handed her a cup full of ice and took off his own clothes. The covers were cool and smoothe against his skin. He poured his own glass of soda. For about five minutes they just watched a barrage of commercials and didn't say anything.

"Let's have a toast," Hawkeye finally said. They clicked the plastic tumblers together.

"To Colonel Sherman Potter, who always said we'd work out."

Margaret nodded and put her cup on the bedside table. He did the same, and moved on top of her. They touched foreheads.

"Are you doing okay now?" he asked. She nodded, feeling him begin to move against her thigh. They kissed deeply.

"Can I have a sip of soda before we...uh..."

Hawkeye reached over and grabbed her cup. He held it to her lips and she drank a long gulp. When he reached to put it back, she put her hands on his hips and they began to do what had brought them together as friends all those years ago. This part of their relationship always came easy. Nothing else ever did.


	3. Chapter 3

Margaret began to move beside him. The morning light crept in through the shades and made her hair a thousand different shades of gold. Hawkeye wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. He buried his face in her hair, thinking about what was going to happen that day.

"Hawkeye, what's wrong?"

Margaret turned to face him. She took pains not to lose his touch.

"Let's stay like this all day. We could just stay in bed. We've stayed in bed all day before," he mumbled into her ear.

Margaret reached up to caress his stubbly cheek. Outside a semi truck started with a rumble. It didn't take long before Hawkeye's hands found her breasts.

"Wait...wait. We've got to go. The kids'll be waiting for us at breakfast if we dawdle," Margaret said quickly, getting up.

"I like to dawdle."

"Uh huh, that's a given."

She smiled and headed for the shower. Hawkeye was left in a tangle of bed covers. He let his head fall back heavily on the pillow. His heart was so wrapped up in everything she did. Every time she'd go out of town for conferences, his heart would be empty until she came home. The warmth she always had would be gone. It was only after he'd look in on the kids that Hawkeye was able to doze off.

Feeling both sad and needy, he got up and walked into the bathroom. The room was steamy and Margaret was humming something tuneless from behind the shower curtain.

"Can I wash your back?" he asked, peeking through the curtain.

"You scared me. I hate that "Psycho" movie," she replied, stepping quickly to the back of the shower.

Interpreting all that as a yes, he jumped in and pinned her to the wall, kissing her softly amid the warm beads of water. Hawkeye then began to soap himself up as Margaret rinsed off. He leveled his gaze on her body. Radar had mentioned the day before that Margaret never seemed to age. The guy was right.

"Well, come here and give me another kiss if you're going to stare," she said, meeting his gaze.

"I wish they were all still alive," said Hawkeye, meaning his dad, Henry and now Colonel Potter.

"Me too."

They kissed and Hawkeye stuck his tongue in her mouth as a matter of principle. Margaret laughed, ruining his desired intentions.

Ben and Ellie were drinking orange juice in the coffee shop when their parents came down. The eatery had a strange tropical theme, complete with false cabanas and painted palm trees. This was all in the paradise of Hannibal, Missouri.

"You nervous about your speech, Dad?" Ben asked over his pancakes.

Hawkeye rolled his eyes. If he didn't love Potter so much there was no way he would have even considered making one. But when Mildred asked him on the phone, there was no way to get out of it. Margaret would have killed him.

"I'm not nervous about singing," Margaret piped, although no one had asked.

"They're making the kids all sing Red River Valley, you know," Hawkeye said, taking some of the wind out of her sails.

"Fantastic," Ellie frowned comically.

Hawkeye let out an explosive guffaw. On that cue, Charles Winchester ambled in, looking amused at the decor.

"This must be the Honolulu of Missouri. Except I hear the beaches aren't much to look at," he sniffed.

"Join us," Margaret said, pointing to an empty chair. "We were just talking about the services."

"Where's Tex?" Ellie asked.

"He went over to the Potter home to take care of the horses. They deserve to look good today and the boy knows all about the beasts," Charles said with a faraway look in his eyes.

Ellie shook her head and went back to her plate. The adults chattered about old times. Charles complained about having to sit in the coach section for his flight to St. Louis, then being assigned a "terrible American car". Ben and Ellie stifled smiles. They'd seen his orange Pinto yesterday.

"Well, there's nothing like a good meal and that was nothing like a good meal," Hawkeye said, getting up.

"It will always beat the swill we had back in the mess," Charles reminded him. "Can I catch a ride with the lot of you? I gave Tex the car."

"Only if you don't mind being seen in a terrible American Vista Cruiser," Margaret said in syrupy voice.

"I do, but it's better than walking." He tipped her a wink and headed back to get dressed.

An hour later, the Pierce clan was in the lobby, waiting on Charles. Hawkeye noticed other hotel patrons staring at his daughter, who'd pinned up her long chestnut hair and slipped into a black dress. Well, he thought, she does look like Agent 99. Who would have thunk it. Ben was in a black suit that would have normally been too conservative for his tastes. The bow tie was an alarming size and the pants flared. He had lightning bolt cufflinks.

Hawkeye's attention turned to Margaret. Her hair was up, too and she had on a black dress very similar to Ellie's, although you'd piss both of them off by pointing this out. While Ellie was tall and willowy, Margaret was short and bird-boned. When angry, she puffed up taller than anyone he'd ever seen. "Let me fix your tie, honey," she said, addressing Hawkeye like a five year old. "You always mess up the knot."

Her hands shook while she pulled the knot tightly. Ellie wobbled a little in her heels and Ben steadied her. Charles walked into the lobby, wearing a tasteful suit with expensive shoes, a decision he'd regret later. His eyes fixed on Margaret and he ogled her for quite sometime. Hawkeye grabbed her hand, noticing this.

"Wagons ho," he chirped. When they walked out, he wrapped his other arm around Ellie and kissed the side of her head.

"You look nice," he said, hugging her to him. There had been an "incident" the year before, when Ellie was getting ready to graduate from high school. She'd always been high strung about school and she began to push herself a little too hard. Somehow, she got her hands on sleeping pills and took too many. Margaret was out of town and Ben was at a friend's house when Hawkeye found her choking on her own vomit, lying in the upstairs hallway. He managed to drag her down the hall and pump her stomach. She finally came around and started to cry. Ellie hung onto her father for dear life. He never told Margaret. He promised he wouldn't. But now he was haunted. Was it really an accident? Did she need psychiatric help? So now Hawkeye was very protective of her, remembering his own demons.

When they pulled up to the church, Tex was there with the orange car. Both Margaret and Ellie smiled at him. Charles had obviously accompanied him to the tailor. They looked like secret service agents. Tex helped Margaret out of the car, and reached in to pull Ellie out. Noticing her struggles with the evil heels, he escorted her into the church. Margaret grabbed for Hawkeye's hand and they followed. The kids all headed off to get the lyrics for Red River Valley and Margaret sought out Father Mulcahey, because he was the best piano player of the group. Hawkeye and Charles sat down near the Klingers. Max owned the Corvette the kids had gushed about the day before.

Margaret rushed up, out of breath. "Mulcahey's piano playing hasn't improved much. Whew!"

The kids all slunk off to the side and took their place just off the pulpit. People began to flow into the church, one by one. An honor guard marched in and fiddled with the flag that was on the casket. "I want that at my funeral," Margaret whispered loudly, and Hawkeye gave her a horrified look.

The preacher stepped up to the pulpit. He was a distant cousin of Potter's and looked the role. Father Mulcahey moved the piano bench back with a loud squeak. Over where all the kids were sitting, someone giggled. It was Ben, cut short with an elbow in the ribs from his sister.

"Will Misses Pierce come on up for our first song?"

Margaret walked stiffly to the front of the church. The first microphone she grabbed gave an enormous shriek of feedback, causing more hilarity in the children's section. She shot them a withering look just as Mulcahey launched into the song. He began to sing, too, so Margaret compensated by drowning him out completely.

_Hark! now the Drums beat up again,  
For all true Soldiers Gentlemen,  
Then let us list, and march I say,  
Over the Hills and far away;_

_What tho' our Friends our Absence mourn,  
We all with Honor shall return,  
And then we'll sing both Night and Day,  
Over the Hills and far away..._

With that done, the preacher went through the normal service. Margaret came back and sat down. Hawkeye squeezed her hand, remembering her rendition of "My Blue Heaven" all those years ago. The honor guard stood at attention the entire time. Over the years that had passed, Hawkeye had almost forgotten Potter was a soldier. They were just two country doctors, trying to patch up their own communities to varying degrees.

"Doctor Benjamin Pierce will now deliver a eulogy."

Hawkeye walked up and avoided the screechy microphones. Instead, he just sucked in a breath of air and launched into what he'd written a week ago.

"I remember when Colonel Potter came to our MASH unit in Korea. He was spit and polish, old army...or so I thought. In the course of two years, he became someone whose advice I sought frequently, not just about medicine but about life. I loved hearing his stories of Hannibal because it reminded me of my own home, so far away."

"He was like a second father to me. He was like a father to my wife. Sherman Potter made our little branch of the Pierce family happen. Without him, I wouldn't have two gorgeous kids and the love of my life. We were all so lucky to have known him. He was a top-notch doctor and a good soldier. He saved our lives so many times in Korea...I remember especially a tornado, and how his country hunch kept us all alive for one scary night."

"There aren't many people in this world who are genuinely good and pure souls. Sherman Potter was one of them. All he wanted to do was come home just like the rest of us. When he finally did, and he saw his beloved Mildred again, he vowed never to leave again. Now I hope he's watching us. You know, I can just hear him now. 'Pierce, can the mushy stuff and get on with it!'"

"So Colonel Sherman T. Potter, I salute you. And I will always remember you."

Hawkeye looked up. Margaret smiled through her tears. Klinger and Radar had lost it, too. Charles Winchester sat stiffly upright. Mildred Potter stared up at him, smiling. She mouthed a thank you.

When the other eulogies were over and the guard had given Mrs. Potter the folded flag, all the kids stood up and Mulcahey cranked up the piano again. The pallbearers lifted the casket off the dais as the first few bars of "Red River Valley" rang out.

"Remember the movie?" Hawkeye shouted at Margaret over the noise. The entire congregation was singing the old song, and Tex Winchester's voice rang out above the rest of the kids.

The committal was in the little churchyard cemetery next door. That was the hardest part for Hawkeye, just watching the coffin being lowered into the ground. Charles Winchester shed a few tears and even gave Klinger and Radar a hug. They all walked back to their cars together.

"He was a no-bullshit kind of guy, wasn't he, Dad?" Tex asked Charles.

"Yes, he was. Just seeing all of us there burying him made me weep."

Hawkeye was drying his own tears. There was a picnic waiting for them back at the Potter farm, but he wanted just to go back to the hotel and hug his family.

"Your head's in the clouds," Margaret said, taking his arm.

"I love you," he said, very seriously.

A smile lit her puffy face. "I know. I love you too."

"Christ!" bellowed Winchester, as he watched the two of them. His shoes were covered with sticky Missouri mud. "Do I have to turn the hose on you two? Have you seen my son? We've got to get back to Saint Louis to catch a plane."

"I thought I saw him go behind the church to help Misses Potter out," Radar shouted from his Datsun. "Ellie was with him."

"I'll get them. Charles, can't you even stay for the picnic?" Hawkeye asked, a little annoyed.

Charles checked his watch. "Well, maybe a few minutes."

Hawkeye walked past a rose trellis and through the fence to get behind the building. When he rounded the corner, there were Ellie and Tex, locked in an embrace. Hawkeye felt his face turn red. He thought about Charles's comment about the hose.

"Ahem...we're ready to go, guys."

They broke apart, blushing furiously. Hawkeye smiled at the two.

"Come on, lovebirds."

Tex and Ellie walked towards the cars, looking sheepish. Margaret caught up to her husband, who was about to burst out laughing.

"What's going on? Did Mildred need any help?"

"Nope. I just caught Tex Winchester giving our daughter CPR."

"Huh? Oh! That's...interesting. He's a handsome young man. Good for her, I guess," Margaret said awkwardly.

Ellie didn't say much on the drive to the farm. Hawkeye winked at her in the rearview mirror, making her turn bright red again.

"That was a beautiful service. He would have wanted a simple, country funeral," Margaret sighed.

"I'm looking forward to more of that country food," Ben said, leaning over the seat. Margaret ruffled his hair.

When they pulled up to the house, all the kids took off towards the food. Mildred Potter laughed as they ran by.

"Sherman loved those kids. Said they were like his own grandkids," she said, watching them attack the platters on the picnic tables.

"Can I talk to you guys for a minute?"

Mrs. Potter pulled all the MASH veterans into the barn. Radar, Klinger, Charles, Hawkeye and Margaret all kicked at the hay on the floor.

"You guys were like Sherman's children. He told me that all the time. So I can't help but feel you're family."

Hawkeye felt a lump rise in his throat.

"He died in here, you know. He woke up and told me he was going to polish Chestnut's saddle. I came out to bring him lemonade and he was gone. Sherman never even made it to the can of polish."

"Margaret, I remember how proud he was when you had your first baby. He strutted around for weeks and even bought cigars. And Radar, he so looked forward to your visits. You were the light of his life. Charles, I know you two weren't terribly close but he always praised your skills as a doctor. Max, he told me how loyal you were...and what a snappy dresser you could be."

Klinger smiled, remembering Colonel Potter's initial reaction to his Section 8 efforts.

"Hawkeye, he was upset when you had your episode. Sherman wrote me the saddest letter I've ever read. He always said you and Margaret were the love story of Korea, how flowers can bloom from a field of cow chips."

"When he left for Korea, he kissed me and promised he'd be home when the violets bloomed again. Well, I waiting two years, and when he came home in September the frost was on the pumpkins. The day he died, I walked out to the backyard and noticed that our old back field was just covered with them. He'll stay with me forever. I know he'll stay with all of you. Please, come down whenever you want."

She started to cry, They all rushed forward and embraced her. When they broke, she smiled and pointed to their children, all sitting together and eating and laughing and talking. Tex Winchester had a hand on Ellie's back.

"See? Life goes on," Mildred Potter smiled. They all walked out into the bright sunlight and joined the kids.

Two days later, Ben loaded the last suitcase into the wagon. Ellie was at the wheel. If he could help it, Hawkeye planned on sleeping most of this trip. He hopped into the backseat beside Margaret. Ben jumped into the front seat to act as navigator.

They pulled away from Hannibal, past the churchyard where Sherman Potter now lay. It was dotted with violets. Hawkeye smiled as Ellie pointed the car back towards Maine. Mildred's words rung in his ears as he looked towards Margaret.

_You were the love story of Korea._


End file.
